


Happiest Place On Earth

by Topographical_Map_Of_Utah



Series: Along Came Baby [20]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: But The Kind That Actually Happens, Disneyland, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grandpa Kes, M/M, Mpreg, Shara and Aiden are gonna be so spoiled, Trans Poe Dameron, because i'm trash, maybe two sentences of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-13 09:23:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9117577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Topographical_Map_Of_Utah/pseuds/Topographical_Map_Of_Utah
Summary: The Damerons go to Disneyland, all four-and-a-half of them.





	

"I can't believe we're doing this..." Poe laughed. Finn shushed him as he tried to tug his sweater down over his belly. He got it down about halfway and gave up. Six and a half months in and Poe was getting sort of unwieldy, the baby getting in the way of basically everything. But aside from the sore back and general discomfort he was enjoying all of the attention Finn was lavishing him with. The extra baking was a treat, too. "What if we give the man a heart attack? We'll have to spend our vacation in ER..." 

"Since when do _you_  worry?" Finn asked in wonder. Most of his attention was focused on trying to hide the Victoria's Secret bag that Poe had gotten him for Christmas. After briefly debating whether or not to bring it along with them to California they had reached the conclusion that having airport officials X-ray a lacy pink lingerie set would be just a bit too embarrassing. 

"I dunno. Baby hormones. Ignore me." Sighing, Poe rubbed his stomach, wriggling as the kid kicked. "How d'you think he'll take it?" 

 "Are you kidding? Your dad's gonna be thrilled. It just means he's got more grandkids to spoil. Isn't that right, Peanut?" Finn laughed, rubbing Poe's belly. "Who wouldn't want that?" Reassured, Poe nodded and went back to folding the summer clothes they had dug out of the closet, whistling a lullaby under his breath. It didn't really have a tune, and Finn had never heard it before, but he could usually tell what was a lullaby and what wasn't. Maybe it was in the way Poe's voice rose and fell, the fond tilt of his lip, but Finn wasn't quite sure. Must be a marriage thing.

When Kes had visited four months ago they had had every intention of announcing that his son had another bun in the oven. But between Kes and Poe's attempt to bake cookies and the kids antics, the visit had been pretty damn hectic. It was only ten minutes after Kes drove off, still smelling like burnt chocolate chips, that they realised they had forgotten to tell him.

Finn had been about to dash outside and run to the airport, but Poe had pulled him back, a mischievous smile on his face. They were flying over to visit after Christmas, he pointed out, before they'd have to pay for five plane tickets. Wouldn't it be fun to surprise Kes with an extra family member?

Between then and now they had managed to keep the pregnancy under wraps, even with Kes phoning them every week and Skyping when he could. You'd think that would cause issues with the whole surprise thing, but hiding Peanut was just a matter of making sure that the camera didn't go below Poe's chest. The kids were in on it, too, so that was another issue tackled.

Ironically enough, the biggest problem was Poe, ever the bad liar. He'd nearly let slip that they were digging the baby stuff out again on more than one occasion. Listening to him talk to Kes gave Finn heart palpitations, but somehow they had managed to keep the cat in the bag, and now Finn could finally relax. Feeling pretty proud of himself Finn laughed and tapped the ridge of Poe's tummy, almost like he was giving the kid a high five.

"What's so funny?" Poe asked, playfully securing a big straw sun hat on Finn's head. Rey had given it to Shara a few months back, under the mistaken impression that a ladies hat would fit a five year old. Finn wore it pretty well, though.

"Nothing. I just can't believe we pulled this off." He really couldn't. Something had actually gone as planned in this family. Go figure. "Your Abuelo's gonna be so excited to meet you, Peanut." he hummed, nuzzling the stretched and faded fabric of Poe's t-shirt. Maybe not quite as excited as Finn himself, but still. "I'll get the kids to bed, alright? You get some sleep." he added as he pushed Poe down onto the bed. He tried to climb on top of him but got stuck behind the bulge of his stomach, trying to find a good angle to kiss him. "I'll join you in a little while."

"Now hold on, I know what that face means. Not tonight, buddy. You try feeling sexy when you're the size of a beached whale..."

"You do a pretty good job of it." Finn hummed, kissing up the line of Poe's chin. He let up when Poe swatted him with a pillow and struggled up onto his elbows, grumbling to himself. 

"Shut up and go be a dad, would you? I'm busy." Despite his best efforts, Poe couldn't suppress a vaguely flustered smile. Satisfied that his job was done for now, Finn snuck one more peck onto Poe's forehead and rolled out of bed. Hopefully this was a _to be continued_ deal. 

Living with a couple gremlins - sorry, _children_ \- meant that Finn was accustomed to discovering the strangest things happening in the house when he or Poe weren't around to intervene. Today that meant finding Shara poking around the Christmas tree with a magnifying glass, Aiden clinging to her side and sucking his thumb. Apparently they were still looking for fairy dust residue, which is what Shara had told him half an hour ago. Their search was getting nowhere, from the looks of it. When he noticed Finn, Aiden smiled and trotted over, letting Finn scoop him up and almost immediately closing his eyes. Putting this one to bed was no trouble. Shara, on the other hand...

"Go to bed, baby-girl. Santa's not gonna show up 'till next year." Finn cajoled, trying to herd Shara down the hall and not getting very far. The kid was like a greased eel. 

"But I have to check the cameras." Shara complained, wriggling out of Finn's hold and running over to her hiding spot by the tree. She had set up a little foxhole for herself under some pillows, camouflaged with some lights and tinsel. Pretty elaborate, actually. She had taken this stakeout seriously. 

The whole existence of Santa thing was a big debate in this household. When she was three Shara spent Christmas Eve curled up on top of Finn, making sure that he wouldn't get up and put gifts under the tree. She had been a very cynical toddler. Conversely, Poe was big on the whole "magic of childhood" idea, so he thought it was vital for Shara and Aiden to believe in stuff like the Tooth Fairy and Santa. Himself, Poe had been a firm believer until twelve years old. Finn had been disillusioned pretty early, being only four when a foster parent had told him the jolly old elf was a lie, but he was onboard with Poe's plan anyways. Too bad Shara was trying her best to debunk it.  

"How the heck did you get my camera?" Finn asked, watching Shara pull a camcorder out of the Christmas tree branches. It had been concealed by some clear ornaments and tinsel, artfully hidden in plain sight.

"Aiden." Shara admitted. She handed it over to Finn after reviewing the tapes and coming up empty, a pout on her face. "I said I needed a camera and he brought it."

Now Finn had a couple questions. Firstly, how a three year old had acquired a camcorder they kept on the top shelf in the back of their bedroom closet, secondly, how a six year old had worked out how to operate a device that had a good five years on her. These kids were something else. Rolling his eyes, Finn bounced Aiden in his arms, shaking his head at him when he opened a deceptively innocent brown eye. "You little thief..." 

"Didn't do it." Aiden mumbled, nuzzling back into Finn's neck. That had become his default answer to almost everything. You could tell him it was a nice day out and he would deny any involvement.

"Sure you didn't. Find anything good, baby-girl?"

"No. I don't get it." Shara said miserably. "The tapes didn't catch anything. But the cookies and carrots we left out were eated and I dunno why..."

The look on Shara's face was heartbreaking. Finn couldn't let that continue. "Santa's magic. That's why you can't see him." he explained. Apparently willing to accept that as an answer, Shara shrugged and hopped into Finn's arms, ready to be carried off to bed like the little princess she was. "Ready for bed? You want me to read a story?"

"Papá said _La Princesa Y El Sapo_." Aiden yawned, waking up to put in his two cents.

"No, Aiden! He said we'd read-" Shara broke off into a burst of Spanish that Finn couldn't keep up with for the life of him. After a blur of words he wasn't quite sure of Shara poked him in the cheek, looking for a second opinion. "What d'you think, Daddy? _Blancanieves_ or _Princesa Y El Sapo_?"

"I don't speak that." Finn reminded them both as he carried them to Shara's bedroom for story time. It would do to carry around a Spanish dictionary with him, probably. After struggling through the first page of _Blancanieves_ the kids settled for _Goldilocks and the Three Bears_ , which was a lot easier on Finn, now that he didn't have to draw on his one year of Spanish in high school. When the kids were asleep Finn tucked them in and made his way back to his bedroom, still nursing a headache from flexing his atrophied language skills.  

"You should go to bed, Poe." he chided as he flopped down on the bed, finding that Poe was still digging through the closet, trying to pack for all four of them. He knew they had another two days, right?

Poe pouted, tossing some socks into the suitcase on the bed. "But we have to get this done..." he complained. Discreetly as possible, Finn stuck out his foot and Poe tripped on it, tipping backwards onto the bed with a little yelp. Even with Finn guiding him down he landed none-too-gracefully on the stack of clothes he had been folding. Once he realised that struggling would do no good he sighed and slumped back, begrudgingly accepting defeat. Smiling, Finn slipped out of bed and plopped himself down on the floor between Poe's legs. Poe hadn't noticed quite yet, but that would change pretty quick.

"I can't get up." he grunted. Humming and completely unconcerned, Finn went about working Poe's sweats down his legs, kissing and nuzzling the exposed skin, all of which seemed to perplex Poe a little bit. "What's happening."

"Since you're here..." Finn tossed Poe's pants and shorts to the side and smiled in satisfaction as he spread Poe's thighs apart. "I've been trying to get you to sit down and relax for the past six months. Doubt I'm gonna get another opportunity like this."

"You have no shame." Because of the baby situation, Poe couldn't see Finn when he dropped down and started to kiss his inner thigh. He was pretty sure he knew what Finn had in mind, though. "This can't be an attractive angle." Poe mumbled absently. However, that didn't seem to matter to Finn in the slightest. When he felt a warm pressure on his clit Poe almost went crosseyed, forgetting every little ache and pain as his body thrummed with pleasure. "Oh, fuck..."

"Try to keep it down." Finn advised. Despite his best efforts an involuntary whine escaped Poe's lips and his hips jerked, making the bedsprings squeal. Finn had to know that was asking too much of him. 

 

\--------

 

"Don't like planes." Aiden sniffled, letting Finn adjust the Mickey Mouse baseball cap that "Santa" had brought for him. The whole six hour flight had been spent with the poor kid curled up against Poe or bundled tight in Finn's lap, whimpering and squeezing his eyes shut as though willing himself back onto the ground. Seems as though the Dameron piloting legacy wouldn't be passed on through this one. 

"Well _I_ like 'em." Shara announced, sticking her arms out and running around Kes' living room, ducking and weaving around the luggage and making engine noises, punctuated with the occasional burst of gunfire. Finn shook his head and laughed, bouncing Aiden in his arms in an attempt to comfort him. The poor kid was made for solid ground, apparently.

"You take after your Papá, Shara. Your Abuela, too." Kes laughed from the couch, letting Shara clamber up into his lap, concealing a wince when she jolted his bad knee. "And where's that husband of yours, Finn? I haven't seen him since you lot got here." 

"He's in the garden. Said he wanted to check on a tree or something." Why, Finn didn't know. Must be a really nice tree. "I'll get these guys some lunch while you two catch up. Lots to talk about." he added vaguely, scooping Shara out of Kes's hold as he made his way over to the kitchen. Making cryptic statements was kind of fun, actually. Really played up the drama of mostly mundane things.

When he heard the chatter in the kitchen Kes shambled outside with Tuck in tow, still smiling to himself about those two little angels he got to call grandkids. Shara was really growing into her name, and even if the parents had no way of knowing it, Aiden had the look of a long-gone cousin, another soldier gone to soon. Sure, Aiden was the spitting image of Finn, but something in his round, hopeful eyes reminded Kes of the past, of something long gone brought back to life.

That part was still incredible to him. Knowing that when he died, there would be a little bit of him left behind. In Aiden's smile, the way Shara's forehead wrinkled up when she was thinking. For a moment there, when Poe had gone missing, Kes had believed that was the end of him, what he and Shara had built together. But no, Kes Dameron was a grandfather, and Shara Bey was a grandmother, wherever she was. A part of her was right here, though, running around the house with arms outstretched and eyes on the sky. 

Kes cleared his throat and blinked, realising that he had paused on the balcony, arms resting on the railing and eyes unfocused. He snapped out of it and blinked around the backyard, adjusting to the sunlight that never seemed to dim.

As Finn had said, Poe was in the garden and staring up at the tree, his back to Kes and his head tilted back, upwards towards the canopy of vivid green. He seemed to be lost in thought, which Kes could understand. That tree was kind of important to them, to Shara, who had always called it a Tree of Heaven. Why, Kes wasn't sure, but the name sure fit.

It had started out as a little sapling, growing out of the empty lot by their first apartment in Brooklyn. The place hadn't been much, just a little three roomed flat they had rented while Shara was pregnant and Kes was scraping together the funds for something a little bit grander. One day she had noticed that the tiny tree was losing leaves, and on impulse she had dug it up and sent it over to Poe's grandfather in Cali, in the hopes that it would have an easier time growing out of something other than concrete. And grow it did. Poe and the tree were around the same age, but it had a good few feet on him. Well, Kes considered as he watched the breeze play in the leaves far above him, maybe more than a few.

"Hi, kid." he yawned, letting Tuck out of his harness. The service dog gave him a happy little nudge and trotted over to Poe, wagging his tail and smiling, which Kes was convinced dogs could do. "The dog's missed you."

"Noticed that. Hey, Tuck." Poe laughed, turning to give Tuck a rub. A smile spread across Kes's face, but Poe's profile caught him by surprise, to say the least. 

"What the fuck." he managed. Poe bit back a laugh as Kes staggered clumsily towards him, Tuck running over and bouncing along cheerfully at his heels. "What the _fuck_." Kes repeated. Poe had known he had gotten his potty mouth from somewhere.

"Yeah. Might've forgotten to mention somethin'." he admitted, tugging down his t-shirt, which had started to ride up over his baby bump. "Oops."

A trembling smile spread across Kes's face and he carefully eased down onto the grass, cupping his hands over Poe's stomach and just staring like a deer caught in headlights. "You're..." he trailed off, his palms tentative on Poe. Now Kes wasn't a very touchy-feely guy, but his grandkids brought out that side of him, even without being born. "You're pregnant?"

"Yeah. Six months." Poe confirmed, rolling his eyes as Kes knocked gently on his baby bump, what sounded like Morse code, actually. Tapping out a simple message, just saying hello, if Poe was getting it right. The baby kicked Kes's hand and Poe felt Kes tense up, could have sworn he heard a little gasp, even. Poe couldn't help but smile as Kes ducked his head and wiped furtively at his eyes. Were those tears? "C'mon, old man. You're s'posed to be happy." 

"I am, I am, don't think I'm-" A sigh huffed against Poe's shirt and Kes got back to his feet, rubbing his nose with a touch of embarrassment, searching for a way to explain this. "It's just that, your mom and I, we always wanted three kids. Never panned out, and I never thought I'd get to be a grandfather and I never thought..." All of a sudden Kes laughed and gathered Poe up in a lung-crushing hug, obviously trying to cover up some feelings that Poe couldn't quite dissect right now. Instead, he just did his best to hug Kes back. That seemed to be the thing to do right now. 

"Thank you, _mijo_." Kes said quietly after awhile. "Thank you for everything."

"No problem, Dad. Happy belated Christmas." Poe wheezed, squirming in Kes's hold. The man had a firm grip. "Crushing us..." 

Kes didn't seem to hear, but Poe couldn't really hold it against him.

 

\----------

 

"You're gonna get stuck like that." Finn warned, giving Shara's cheek a squeeze. She had seen Poe pointing his phone at them and had contorted her face into an expression that nearly startled Aiden into tears. Even Finn was somewhat unsettled. He was squished between the kids in the backseat of Kes's car, Tuck curled up in his lap and Aiden hugging his arm. Poe had claimed shotgun, but Finn wasn't too unhappy with his lot, honestly. This just meant he'd get a front row seat for what he assumed would be a pretty good show. 

It was going to be perfect. They had been planning this trip for months and now their hard work would finally pay off. Finn had the tickets in his back pocket and Poe had his phone out, ready to catch every second of the kids reactions. Smiling, Poe pressed record and grinned at Shara and Aiden. It was going to be perfect, just you wait. "Guess what?"

"What, Papá?" 

"We're goin' to Disneyland!" Poe announced, barely containing his own excitement. Aiden had the appropriate response, squealing and kicking and clapping his chubby little hands in delight. Shara, however, crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. Well, that was a surprise. Although Poe couldn't even say he was shocked. Nothing ever went as planned in this family, did it?

"What's with the frowny face, baby-girl?" Finn asked, looking baffled. "You don't want to go to Disneyland?"

"No. I wanna go to Vegas." she whined. "That's where _Tío_  Han and _Tía_ Leia goes all the time. They have fun there. I wanna go _there_." 

"Well too bad, kiddo. You'll have to live with Disneyland." Poe managed. Finn had started cackling in the backseat and Poe sighed. Well, there goes the big reveal. But Poe wasn't even surprised, honestly, not knowing his kid. But really, he wouldn't have it any other way.

 

\----------

 

It didn't take long for Shara to change her mind about the whole Disneyland thing. They caught a glimpse of Belle as they walked into the park, so that probably helped. The churros they bought at the first food cart they passed didn't do any harm, either.

Poe couldn't go on most of the rides, but it was nice just walking around, one hand entwined with Finn's and the other resting on his stomach or making sure Shara didn't bolt off when she saw something shiny. Kes had insisted he be on toddler duty, which meant Aiden was cheerful enough, sitting on Kes's shoulders and giggling at everything they passed. Call Poe crazy, but he felt a little bit safer, here. Happiest Place On Earth, after all. The outside world couldn't get to them. At least that's what Poe was choosing to believe.

Only every so often he would feel eyes on him, trying to work him out, what his deal was. It was nothing but the usual glares and pursed lips, but for some reason it wore him down more than usual. Maybe it was the heat, or maybe it was the fact that he didn't have a winter coat to cover himself up, or maybe it was just so at odds with how cheerful he should be feeling right now. Whatever it was, Poe had to tap out after lunch, leave the kids and Kes in the waiting area outside of the Tiki Room and wander someplace quiet while Finn was off buying trinkets for Rey and Jess and the baby they had on the way. Poe felt kind of bad about leaving, but he really needed a break, right now.

When Finn got back to the waiting area he sat down beside Kes and nudged his elbow, watching the kids run around, dancing along to the drums playing over the speakers. "Where's Poe?"

"Said he was goin' for a walk. Hasn't found his way back yet."

"I'll find him. He probably sat down someplace and didn't feel like getting up. You guys have fun, alright?" Finn instructed, ruffling the kids' hair as he stood. Shara and Aiden both nodded absently, staring at the tree statue that had started to talk all of a sudden. Finn sighed and made his way out of the courtyard. So he wasn't as interesting as an animatronic. Good to know.

It didn't take long for Finn to track down Poe, seeing as he was moving kind of slowly. He had found his way to a little grotto beside the castle, tucked away with a waterfall and a wishing well and the forest creatures from Snow White. It had to be one of the only quiet places in the whole park. Finn had a feeling that was why Poe had chosen it.

He was sitting on a bench in the shade, shoulders hunched and back curled like he was trying to conceal his belly. In an attempt to hide his face he had hunkered down behind a map, his eyes burning a hole right through California Adventure. Tentative, Finn pushed that down to see that Poe was crying. Tears rolled down his cheeks and plopped on the glossy paper, and Poe made no attempt to wipe them away, made no attempt to look at Finn, even.  

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Finn asked quietly. Poe gulped and shook his head, but Finn cupped his face, finding it warm and wet, sticky with tears. Sweat too, probably. Finn could feel it getting tacky on his own skin.

"Nothing worth listening to." Poe hiccuped as Finn joined him on the bench and fixed his hair, working the tangles out of his damp curls. He was not used to this climate, obviously. That seemed to be getting him down, too. "Just a lot of little things, I guess. It's all stupid."

"I'm gonna listen anyways." Drops made up the ocean, after all. The stupid little things build up, and all of a sudden you're drowning in a sea of problems that you can't deal with on your own. "Spill, would you? I'll listen, I promise."

"It's all stupid." 

"You said that already." Finn reminded him. Poe sighed and Finn kissed him on the cheek. "It's okay, Poe. You can tell me."

"Just I'm sweaty and I have to pee and my feet hurt and I keep getting kicked in the ribs and I'm hungry and..." Poe cradled his stomach, swallowing down more tears. "And remember when I was waiting for you and Shara outside of the Haunted Mansion? Aiden was talking about Peanut, maybe a bit louder than he should've been."

 Even now, Finn noticed saying that made Poe's lips quirk into a slight smile. Peanut would always be the baby's nickname, probably. "Well, this kid overheard, asked his mom why I was pregnant and she just shook her head and scowled at me. Like I'd done something wrong. Like I'm not even worth explaining. Like she was trying to protect him from something."

Poe's voice dropped and Finn cuddled him a bit tighter. "And then she looked at Aiden, and her face was no different. She thought he was fucked up, too. Is that how everybody sees our kids, Finn? Is that how you-"

"I've never thought that. Not once. They're perfect. Absolutely perfect." Finn promised. He didn't even want Poe to complete that train of thought. "They're smart and funny and brave, and maybe a little crazy. Just like their Papá."

Finn expected that to pacify him, but Poe just shook his head, looking just as miserable as before. "That's the problem." he began hoarsely. "I know they're okay. I know there's nothing wrong with them. It's just that people always make me feel like I've done something wrong, but I dunno how I'm supposed to fix it. I dunno what people see in me that makes me so wrong."

That, Finn could understand. Wary looks, downcast eyes, grips tightening on the straps of purses. Being seen as a threat before anything else was the story of his life. But he knew it wasn't his fault. Poe deserved to know that, too. "Maybe there's nothing wrong." he suggested gently. "Maybe there's nothing to fix."

Poe snorted and shook his head, staring longingly at the wishing well. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was wishing for.

"Tell that to everyone else. I hate this. I hate being looked at like some kind of freak." Poe choked out, eyes full of sadness and hurt and plain old exhaustion. "Just...no matter what I'm doing, I'm doing the wrong thing. This's the third time, and it hasn't gotten any easier. People haven't changed their minds about me. About us." 

"Sweetheart..." Finn could see that Poe was getting himself worked up, but he couldn't do anything aside from hold his hands, feel them tremble and try not to let his own emotions get the best of him, too.

"People pull their kids away from me. I feel like a damn science experiment. People watch Shara and Aiden like they expect them to blow up or freak out and this kid's gonna have to deal with that too, and I just-" 

It all came out then, angry, racking sobs making Poe shake and jerk against Finn. Good thing he had found himself a quiet spot. Through it all Finn held him close, not saying anything because really, what was there to say? Poe was right, maybe. Definitely? Finn wasn't sure, but no way in hell could Poe be allowed to keep believing that there was no hope for them, for their family.

"People can change." Finn whispered, once the worst of it was over and Poe was just trembling slightly in his arms, trying to slow his breathing.   

"Will they, though?"

"Yes. They will." After all, Finn had. The years, the kids, Poe himself. He had let all of it shape and change him, for better or worse. It was only a matter of letting go of a prior conviction, a lie you had spent your whole life believing was the truth. For Finn, that lie had been that people couldn't be trusted, that the only way to stay safe was to keep running and never look back. Not to say Finn never felt that impulse anymore, but no way in hell was he ever going to act on it, not when it meant leaving behind people he loved, people who couldn't run. He wasn't quite sure what the lie was for other people.

"They will change, Poe."

"I'm having a hard time believing that." Poe's hand drifted down and slipped under Finn's collar, rubbing the angry pink slash where the bullet had grazed him, what felt like eons ago. That night still gave Finn nightmares, though. It wasn't uncommon for him to wake up gasping, hearing the gunshot, feeling a wet warmth spread across his chest, seeing the blue uniform standing above them and knowing there was nothing he could do.

If one thing stuck out to him about that night, it was how helpless he had been, helpless to save himself or Poe or the baby that was about to be born, about to meet a world that didn't want him.

They had never told Aiden the story of what had happened the night he was born - he was a toddler, for Christ's sake - but Finn felt that one day they would have to tell him, make a cautionary tale of it. Aiden would learn to keep his head down, keep his hands at his side, always in plain sight.

Only, and Finn was sure this was the case, the rashness he and Poe had passed on to their kids would rise up in Aiden, make him too much like his parents, headstrong and rebellious. Shara already showed signs of it, that spark of resistance. Finn wouldn't have to change that about his kids, would he? To keep them safe, was he ready to go back on everything he and Poe had taught them? Be proud of who you are, where you come from. Stand your ground. Emotions are not weaknesses. Would he make them forget all that? 

No, he wouldn't. Finn was willing to change a lot, but he wasn't willing to change what made his family special, what made it strong. Poe wouldn't change it, either. That, Finn knew for sure.

"It's going to get better, Poe." he said quietly. "You'll see. We're all gonna be okay."

Poe nodded and Finn held him tight. The waterfall splashed, the trees rustled overhead, and slowly, Poe's grip on Finn slackened, his breathing steadied. Finn still didn't want to let go, though. He never really wanted to let go.

"How many times have you done this?" Poe mumbled after awhile, voice muffled in Finn's shirt. Finn pulled away and Poe shrugged sheepishly, still scrunching in on himself a little bit.

"Done what?"

"This. Tried to make me feel better about stupid things. You must be getting tired." 

"You think so?" 

"I know I would be. You never whine about anything..."

"I never carry around a child for nine months, either. " Finn pointed out. The baby started kicking and he smiled, pressing a kiss to Poe's belly button. "And I do whine. You tell me that pretty often."

"Do I?" Finn nodded and Poe smiled a little bit. "Well, maybe sometimes..."

"That's being generous." Finn laughed, running his thumb over the stubble on Poe's cheek. "Okay, so lets see what we can fix, here. What was it? You're sweaty, hungry, couple other things, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we're all sweaty, so no one's gonna care if you are." Poe laughed and Finn gave him a squeeze. "That's one down, and I'm sure there's a neutral bathroom somewhere around here, so that's another problem solved. I'll give you a foot massage when we get back to your dad's place, and I dunno how to stop the kicking, but Peanut usually settles down around right now, right? And as for the other thing..."

Finn produced a penny from one of his pockets and smiled at Poe, nodding towards the wishing well. "I dunno if it'll fix everything, but it's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"You're ridiculous." Poe huffed fondly, getting to his feet and lumbering over to the well. He rubbed the coin between his thumb and forefinger, looking down at the grate below, listening to the tinny recording of Snow White singing about her wish. After a minute he took a deep breath and flipped the coin in, smiling when Finn came up behind him and kissed him on the ear.

"What'd you wish for?"

"Can't say. Won't come true if I do." Poe reminded him. A couple tears still clung stubbornly in his eyes and he blinked them away, sighing as he slumped against Finn. "I can't believe I was crying in a fucking amusement park. I can't deal with a midlife crisis right now."

"You're not having a midlife crisis. I won't allow it." Finn turned Poe around and smiled at him. "C'mon. I'll get you an ice cream cone." And that checked the last item off of his list. Finn was on a roll, today. 

"No tiger stripe." Poe reminded him. After five years he still wasn't over that disappointment of a flavour.

"How cruel d'you think I am?" Finn rubbed Poe's belly and laughed. "I wouldn't feed that to our baby." 

"I dunno if the parasite would care. Y'know the kind of cravings this kid gives me? I wanted to eat Shara's chalk crayons a few weeks back..."

"You wanted to do what."

"Eat chalk. Apparently that's kind of common. Restrained myself, though. Then we ran out of that lemony soap stuff the other day and I just about cried." Poe managed a shaky grin and Finn smiled at him. If Poe had one thing going for him, it was his resilience. 

"Please tell me you weren't eating that."

"I wasn't. I just liked the smell." Poe hummed, resting his cheek on Finn's shoulder as they strolled through the park. It didn't take long for them to find their way to the ice cream parlour on Main Street, all glossy and prettied up with lace and coloured glass. It hadn't changed a bit since the last time they had been here together, a good decade ago. The two of them, on the other hand, they were basically unrecognisable.

"You can never just have normal cravings, can you?" 

"Define normal." Poe grunted as he sat down in the chair Finn offered him. "Because we had to pull Jess away from the oil tankard last Tuesday."

While Poe waited for Finn to come back with a pineapple-chocolate waffle cone Aiden ran up to him, a pair of Tinker Bell wings strapped to his back and a pleased smile on his face. Behind him, Shara was clutching a Stitch plushy in one hand and the pig from _Moana_ in the other. They both looked so happy that Poe almost hesitated before chewing out Kes about throwing around money like that.

"Dad, I said no more buying them things..."

"You're no fun, kid." Unrepentant, Kes scooped up Aiden and twirled him around, laughing when the little guy started flapping his arms in attempt to take off. "Besides, look how cute he is." Poe groaned but didn't protest any further, rubbing the top of Shara's head when she ran up for a hug. She had stuck a bright pink flower in her curls, but Poe wasn't sure whether she was going for Moana or Lilo. One of the two.

"Papá! We met Ariel and Peter Pan and Peter Pan liked Aiden's wings and Ariel asked what my favourite sea animal was and I said shark and she said that was nice because sharks are important for the ecosystem and she said she met nice sharks and that they're not all mean."

"That's great, kiddo. You still wish we had gone to Vegas?"

"No. This's better." 

"Well, that's good to hear." Finn reappeared with a pretty elaborate ice cream cone, complete with a cherry on top, fudge drizzle, and a chocolate chip cookie tucked in the side. Poe hadn't asked for any of that, but Finn knew it was implied. "You getting something, Kes?"

"Nah. Gonna go try my hand at the penny arcade. Don't wait up." He ruffled both kids hair and wandered off with Tuck at his side, whistling. Odds are he'd come back with more toys for the kids, but Poe tried not to think about it too much. 

"How come Papá only gets ice cream?" Shara pouted as Finn handed Poe what in her eyes had to be the Holy Grail.

"Because carrying around a baby's tiring. He needs energy." Finn explained. Shara screwed up her face, looking longingly at the cone. Then she stuffed her Stitch doll under her t-shirt and smiled, holding her imitation baby bump and smiling wheedlingly at Finn. 

"Now can I have ice cream?"

"You just don't give up, do you?" Poe sighed, offering her the cone. A gap-toothed grin spread across Shara's face, but before she could grab it and run the band struck up a tune and she squealed in delight. She took Aiden by the hand and started dancing around the room with him, jumping and leaping in time to a song from _Mary Poppins_. Poe tapped his foot and Finn bobbed his head, goofy smiles on their faces.

"You got a favourite Disney song?" Finn asked around the half of a cookie Poe didn't want.

"Well, that identity crisis song in _Mulan_  messed me up when I heard it for the first time. Way too real. You?"

Finn shrugged and grinned, watching Aiden try and keep up with his sister. "You'll have to narrow it down. We talking Golden Age, Renaissance, Revival..." Poe punched him in the arm and Finn relented, shoving the rest of the cookie into his mouth before he answered. "A Whole New World."

"Cheesy son of an itch..." Poe snorted. He had started to watch his tongue around the time Aiden had been born. He was still working on it, but he was getting better. Somewhat. "How come?"

"Must have something to do with the fact that I married a pilot." A smile spread across Poe's face and Finn kissed him on the cheek, humming to himself. It also might have something to do with the fact that when he met Poe his whole world had changed, changed into something shining and shimmering and thrillingly, wondrously  _new_.  

But he couldn't exactly say that with a straight face, so the song would have to do.

**Author's Note:**

> holy shit my first fic of 2017. Happy New Year!


End file.
